Label aligner for die cutting press



Aug. 16, 1955 2,715,439

P. E. BRUNNER LABEL ALIGNER FOR DIE CUTTING PRESS Filed March 11, 1952 l5 l6 23 l2 0 /9 4 1/ 1 T I I 3 l l 35 l I: I

i I i I 0 I 7 IN VEN TOR. P6 UL. E .52 UNNEB ATTORNE Y.

States Patent 'fi1ce 2,715,435) Patented Aug. 16, 1955 LABEL ALIGNER FOR DIE CUTTING PRESS Paul E. llirunner, Baltimore, Md.

Application March 11, 1952, Serial No. 275,993

4 Claims. (Cl. 16459) This invention relates to paper cutting machinery and more particularly to a device used with a punch press to align sheets having labels printed thereon, to produce the finished labels.

in label finishing, many labels are ruined through improper alignment of the label strips with each other. The label strips are usually placed on one another so the labels in each strip will be aligned with the one above and below it, etc. When the labels so stacked are placed against the present stops, the edges of the labels are in alignment until the cutting die starts to cut through the pile. Heretofore no means has been provided to allow the restricted edge of the label to move to compensate for the thickness of the die wall without pushing the stack of label strips out of alignment with the edge of the cutting die. While the top labels are properly cut, the die proceeds downwardly through the stack, causing the lowermost labels to move out of alignment and a majority of the labels will be improperly cut and rejected by the finisher or the customer. This loss of finished labels through improper cutting amounts to many thousands in an order for a million labels, and it is an object of this invention to reduce this great loss by providing an aligner that will align the edges of the strips with each other and also provide means for allowing suflicient movement of the label strip edges without moving the labels out of alignment with the cutting die and causing their defacement.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a new and improved label aligner for use with a punch press to produce finished labels.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide a new and improved method for aligning and cutting labels, consisting in aligning the printed label sheets with a piece of chip board at the bottom of the pile of sheets, splitcutting the sheets into strips, keeping right hand guides,

each strip being numbered according to its position on r the sheet, and then being stacked according to numbers, making a set up for each kind of strip and numbering the strip accordingly. Die cut positions are marked on a piece of die cut board that is approximately one inch longer and one and one-half inches wider than the strips to be cut, and then marking the die cut positions on said die cut board, moving the die cut board and the labels thereon so the markings on the die cut board will align with the center marking of the cutting die shown on press table and then cutting the labels.

it is an additional object of this invention to provide a guide having an interchangeable bearing plate for aligning the labels, on either side of the center of the cutting die.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide a new and improved label aligner having a depressed surface to allow the edge of the label to expand out of alignment over the depressed surface when the die is pressed thereon and allow the edge of the label to come back into alignment when the die is removed, to prevent misalignment of the labels.

It is an additional object of this invention to provide a new and improved label aligner that will prevent the edges of the strip from curling when the label is cut therefrom.

Other objects will become apparent as the invention is more fully set forth.

Left hand guides may be used if the labels are fed to the press from the left side thereof.

For a clearer understanding of the invention and the objects thereof, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, wherein a particular form of the invention is indicated. These drawings when used in conjunction with the following description serve to illustrate the invention, its principles and the operation thereof, while the claims indicate the scope thereof.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a front elevation of a label punch press showing the label aligner embodying this invention attached thereto;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the label aligner and die cut board with a strip of labels having several of the labels cut out in a manner used with this invention taken along line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the aligner with the label strips removed;

Figure 4 is an end view looking in the direction of arrows 4-4 of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is an end view looking in the direction of arrows 5-5 of Figure 3.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

In the drawings a back board 10 is provided with elongated slots 11 to receive bolts 12 used to fasten short plates 13 interchangeably positioned on either side of the center of the cutting die. A bearing plate 14 is used for attachment to the backboard 10 on either side of the center of the cutting die. Backboard bearings 15 are attached to the backboard Ill and provide sliding means for fastening the label aligner to the press table 18, through the use of bolts 17 sliding in slots 16. A thin metallic edging strip 19 is attached to the lower end of the backboard 1d, and acts as a low aligner, to align the label strips 24 and the chipboard 25 without restricting outward movement of the edge 23 of the label strip when the die is forced through the labels on the strips, and prevent pushing the labels out of alignment with each other.

The edging strip 19 has a cut-out portion 20 to provide clearance for the edge cutting knife 21 preferably attached to the die 22 to cut the edge 23 of the strips 24 at the same time the label is being cut out. The head 30 of the cutting press supports the label cutting die 22 and resilient strip holders 31.

In the operation of the invention the: die cut board 26 is first placed on the table and the chipboard 25 is placed on top of it. The stacked-up label strips 24 are then placed on the chipboard. The backboard i0 is adjusted on the table behind the aforesaid boards and the label strips. The bearing plate 14 mounted on the backboard it) lines up the longitudinal edges of the stacked strips as shown in Figure 2. This bearing plate extends from the medial point of the backboard and extends to the right hand thereof as shown in Figures 2 and 3. The vertical face of this hearing plate 14 is such that about 500 label strips may be stacked upon each other and aligned against the said vertical face by bodily pushing the die cut board 26 and chipboard 25 with their load of label strips against the vertical face of the bearing plate 14. The remaining or left hand portion of the backboard it) lies back of the, front face of the plate 14 but it carries the metal edging strip 19 at its lower end which is in alignment with the bearing plate 14. Therefore, as the stack of strips is pushed leftward along plate 14, they are aligned thereby and they continue their travel on the same path by following the strip 19. They can not deviate from this path since they are constantly pushed against the plate 14. The die cut board has marks 27 thereon adapted to line up with marks 28 carried by the table. When this position is reached, the press is operated and it cuts the labels from the strips. This cutting extends down through the chipboard 25 but not through the die cut board 26. The pusher 29 is used not only for the purpose of advancing the strips leftward but also to maintain the back edges of the strips in vertical alignment. It comprises a fiat plate 32 with aligning posts 33 mounted thereon and separated from each other by a space 34. This space enables the rearmost strip holder 31 to project between the aligning posts 33 when cutting the last labels in the row.

While but one general form of the invention is shown in the drawings and described in the specification, it is not desired to limit this application for patent to this particular form as it is appreciated that other forms of con- 7 struction could be made that would use the same principles and come within the scope of the appended claims. Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is: 1. A vertically reciprocally movable peripheral cutting 3. A device as set forth in claim 1 and a pusher slidably supported on said table and having a vertical forward face to assist in maintaining the forward edges of the strips in vertical alignment.

4. A device of the kind described for correctly positioning stacked-up label strips carried on a die-cut board beneath a die-carrying ram; comprising a work supporting table, a backboard adjustably secured to the top of said table and extending longitudinally of the table on one side of the die, a bearing plate attached to said backboard on the side adjacent the die and extending from a point adjacent the forward end of the die toward the forward end of said table and having a vertical bearing face at die and a flat-topped table thereunder, longitudinal guide means adjustably mounted on said table at one side of said die, surfaces of said guide means on the side toward said die lying in a common vertical plane and extending from substantially the forward end of the table past said die and forming a substantially continuous guide surface for one side edge of a stack of strips resting on a die-cut board, said guide surface forwardly of said cutting die extending vertically at least as high as the top of said stack of strips and the major portion at least of said guide surface opposite said cutting die extending only substantially as high as the top of said die-cut board.

2. A device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said die has a knife portion extending therefrom to the plane of said guide surface and the guide means has a cut out portion to provide clearance for said knife portion.

least equal in height with said die-cut board and stacked strips, an edging strip secured to said backboard and having a vertical bearing face in line with the aforementioned bearing face, said edging strip being substantially equal in 7 height to the height of said die-cut board, said bearing faces being adapted to guide said die-cut board and stacked label strips under said die and so that the adjacent edges of the strips in the stack may expand over the top of said edging strip as the die spreads the strips in cutting therethrough while maintaining said die-cut board in position longitudinally.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,493,013 Balduf May 6, 1924 2,076,436 Nelson Apr. 6, 1937 2,079,390 Winans May 4, 1937 2,208,966 Eickman July 23, 1940 2,308,277 Gillen Ian. 12, 1943 2,361,687 Hermani Oct. 31, 1944 2,433,535 Treis et a1 Dec. 30, 1947 2,454,609 Miller Nov. 23, 1948 2,483,735 Noell Oct. 4, 1949 2,589,033 Baumgartner Mar. 11, 1952 

